Top climbing months

Most climbed route

Highlights

Mount Whitney is the highest peak in the contiguous US, and amazingly lies just 76 miles west of the lowest point in North America at Badwater in Death Valley National Park (282 feet below sea level).

The western slope of Whitney lies within Sequoia National Park and the summit is the southern terminus of the famous John Muir Trail.

The most popular route to the summit is by way of the Mount Whitney Trail which starts at Whitney Portal, 13 miles west of the town of Lone Pine. The hike is about 22 miles round trip with an elevation gain of over 6,100 feet.

The "Mountaineer's Route", a gully on the north side of the east face first climbed by John Muir, is considered a scramble and is frequently skied in the spring.

The East Face offers a classic technical route.

Permits are required year round on this very popular mountain.

Highlights

Latest summits

"Nevada's Wheeler Peak was originally supposed to be the highlight of this eight-day getaway out west. Summiting that 13er would have been ambitious enough considering my previous high point was only 11.5k feet.
That all changed when I went to the Recreation.gov website two weeks before my trip and noticed that a permit (well, two actually) had suddenly become available. I immediately snatched up one of them and paid the $25 fee without hesitation. After the initial euphoria wore off a bit, I started to wonder if two weeks would be ample time to train for this 22-mile round-trip hike with ov" - theascent, Sep 6, 2018

"This was a tough hike (type 2 fun) and not for everyone! It's the elevation that really kicks ass and adds a whole other dimension of challenges to overcome. If lucky enough to win the lotto, train, train, train! Plan on a couple of elevation hikes prior to Whitney. I took on Mt Conness (12,000') the weekend prior and found I don't do well in elevation above 10,000. I took some Diamox for Whitney, which helped a lot, but not 100%. It's a beautiful hike, met a ton of nice people, and the view is stunning! Watching the sunrise was also amazing. If you're heading out for this one, check out " - colleenmarie512, Sep 1, 2018

"Reserved a one day permit back in April. Meanwhile, I had been attempting to maintain fitness until this day, so I could finally check this one off the list (off several lists). This was a tough task with my limited availability during the year, but I managed to put the time in to get ready for this. To help matters, I managed to carve out a 6 day vacation where I acclimated around the Bishop Pass area for a few days. My goal wasn't to peak bag, it was simply to bag Mount Whitney and to call it a success at the end of the vacation.
When the day came, I hit the Mount Whitney Trail at 1 " - Peak-Conquistador, Aug 21, 2018

"Finally got Whitney. A particularly emotional experience, ending the JMT here.
Acting overcautious on some InReach weather beta, I left camp above Guitar Lake just before two. Was on the summit by 4:30 waiting for the sun where I indulged a recent altitude tradition of English tea with milk.
The summit doesn't disappoint, with expansive, dramatic views in nearly every direction. The winding craggy trail there is out of a movie. The hut makes it feel like an even higher mountain. A poignant ending to a very moving trek.
Then its off to scramble fun on Muir Peak which felt appropriate." - JustinB, Aug 10, 2018

"My mountain-climbing tour was winding down and I wanted to finish it with a bang. I was planning on day-hiking Olancha Peak, but on a lark I dropped into the Ranger Station outside Lone Pine to see if there were any Whitney permits left. It was Memorial Day, so surely there wouldn't be any...wait, what's that? There are over 30 no-show permits available? Did I want one? Uhh...I guess I'm snow-climbing Whitney tomorrow!
I started at the portal at 3:05a. I was pretty well acclimatized and made good progress up the Main Trail, arriving at Trail Camp just in time for the sunrise. At that time, " - klotito, May 28, 2018

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